


Day Three Hundred Twenty-Eight || In the Mirror

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [328]
Category: Naruto, Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bullying, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:21:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21629788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: Doing her best to duck and hide, Hinata finds herself in a weird little...shop. But it's concealing even more secrets than she knows...
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Uchiha Sasuke
Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [328]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1235528
Kudos: 24





	Day Three Hundred Twenty-Eight || In the Mirror

_No...no, no no!_

Tennis shoes slap against the sidewalk, an ache building in her side as she runs. The school is blocks away by now, but they’re still chasing - she can hear them, just a breath behind. She has to find someplace to hide...someplace to duck into and lose them…!

Her school bag jostles against her hip, and she’s just about to collapse when she rounds another corner. She doesn’t even stop to look at the door, the shop’s front - anything. She just pushes the entrance open and settles it back shut before hiding behind the nearest rack of shelves. Her breath is labored, the stitch in her side making every gasp of air painful. Pale eyes stare between the layers of goods at the windows that allow a view out into the street.

A few seconds pass, and then a group of teenagers spill out from the alleyway she’d come from. They stutter for a moment before their ringleader points in several directions, scattering them in their search.

With a gasp, Hinata crouches down...but never hears the door.

No one comes in.

Shaking in both exhaustion and relief, she cups her face in her hands, knees still bent.

Well...so much for making a good impression...the last few weeks (her first) at her new school have been...lackluster. And then a rumor suddenly snowballs, and she finds herself being hunted down by upperclassmen with a vengeance.

She needs to head home, but...well, maybe she’ll just...wait a little longer. Make sure they’re gone. The walk from here will take her a while, and she doesn’t want to bother her aunt, calling and asking to be picked up.

Hopefully the staff of...whatever this place is won’t mind her loitering.

Eventually standing upright on shaky knees, Hinata finally takes a moment to look over her surroundings with more attention to detail. It’s not a particularly large place. From the door is an aisle that leads to a back counter. Flanking it on either side are racks of shelves, a bit like a shoe store. But rather than shoes, there are bins of...stuff.

Brow furrowing, she reaches in and pulls out some odd little...trinket. It must be some kind of...antique store? This all looks like old, useless junk. No wonder the place sounds empty.

“Um...h-hello…?”

Her voice, soft, seems gargantuan in the empty, silent space, and Hinata can’t help but flinch. This place _is_ open, right? The door was unlocked, she didn’t force her way in. Maybe they’re...on break?

Hesitating a moment, Hinata just...wanders a bit, having nothing else to do - she is _far_ from eager to be heading back outside. Beyond the shelves, the place seems a bit...empty. That is, until she looks up.

Even more...stuff hangs from the ceiling. Strange lanterns, chains, and what look to be weird...tools? She’s really not sure. The more she sees of this place, the odder it all seems. What _is_ it…?

Following the aisle, she approaches the counter. It looks old, almost like...a bar? Thick, scarred wood covers the entire surface, looking older than she is. Behind it is a door that she presumes leads to some kind of back room. Storage, maybe? A dated looking cash register sits to one side, receipts stabbed atop a keeper. There’s a ledger open that she sheepishly averts her eyes from, and...wait, is that an _abacus_ …? They aren’t actually _using_ that...are they?

...and that’s when she sees it.

At first glance, she assumes it’s a mirror. It’s twice her width and another half her height, framed in what looks to be...crystal? It’s pretty, but...that isn’t what earns it a second glance.

...nothing is reflecting in it.

Hinata gives it a suspicious glance. If it’s not a mirror, then...what is it? Some kind of...gag prop? Adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder, she slowly approaches. No matter the angle she looks into it, it doesn’t show anything. Not her, not the shop behind her...it’s just a weird, empty void.

...it almost looks like…

Unable to help her curiosity, Hinata spares a hesitant hand from her bag strap. Slowly, she moves her aloft fingers toward the surface, twitching as she almost fears the possibility of what she might feel once she makes contact.

“Don’t touch that.”

Eeping, Hinata brings her hand back to her chest like she was shocked, spinning around and feeling her bag flap against her hip at her momentum. Coming around the end of the counter is a boy that looks about her age. Dark hair is wild, eyes just as black. And yet...that’s funny...for a moment they almost looked…?

“What are you doing in here?”

“I, um...I-I was just…?” She flounders for words. “...I’m sorry. I thought the place was open, the - the door was unlocked, so -?”

“Yeah, we’re open. Didn’t hear you come in.”

Really? With all the panting and slamming of the door she did? “I...I was h...hiding.”

“...hiding.”

“...yeah. Someone was...chasing me, so I just...I came in here. If that’s a problem, I can leave…”

“...wait...you’re a freshman, right?”

“Y...yes?”

“At Konoha high?”

...isn’t that the only school in this town? “I...yeah, I...I go there.”

“Me too. Sasuke Uchiha.”

“Hinata...Hyūga.”

“You must be new...I didn’t recognize you. Konoha’s not the biggest.”

“Yes, I just t-transferred this year.” Feeling a bit anxious, Hinata quickly licks her lips. “I...should I leave?”

“No, you’re fine. Just wanted to make sure you weren’t in here to pilfer something.”

She can’t help a frown. Steal this junk? Why? “Um...no.”

“Who was chasing you?”

“It’s...a long story. Apparently I did something I shouldn’t have, that...I wasn’t aware of. Some...clique thing I intruded on. And um...a few people got mad and just...took off after me. This was the first place I could go in to try and hide.”

It’s Sasuke’s turn to frown. “...you okay?”

“...honestly, I don’t know.” Hinata wilts. “...I don’t know what will - what will happen tomorrow. I doubt it’ll just blow over...I didn’t mean to do anything wrong!

“This town has a lot of unspoken rules and weird superstitions. It’s no wonder you stepped on someone’s toes as an outsider. Try not to worry about it.”

Something about the word ‘outsider’ makes her stomach tighten into a knot. “...right.”

“I’ll try and step in if I can. My family’s pretty big in town - maybe they’ll listen if I just explain.”

“I...t-thank you.”

“Sasuke, what did I tell you about -?”

Jumping, Hinata flinches as the door behind the counter opens, and a man steps through. And boy, if Hinata thought this _shop_ was strange...that’s nothing compared to what she assumes is the one who owns it.

Flyaway grey hair - even wilder than the boy’s - leans to one side of his head. And yet he looks no older than thirty. An angry scar cuts down through one eyelid, the iris beneath milky with blindness. A kerchief is tied over the lower half of his face. And his outfit looks like he’s cosplaying someone’s Dungeons and Dragons character. A long coat of grey stitched with a mural-like scene she can only see snippets of, a white shirt covered by a black vest, and trousers (also black) that look like they belong a century or two in the past.

“...ah. A customer. And a boring one, if that look tells me anything,” the man muses. “You hardly look the type to appreciate my wares...what are you doing in here?”

“Leave her alone, Kakashi - she’s ducking out from some trouble.”

“Trouble? I don’t need any more of that. Shoo, off with you,” Kakashi, as he’s apparently called, orders with a wave of his hand.

“Shove off,” Sasuke mutters. “She’s fine. Just escaping some bullies. Not _your_ brand of trouble, master.”

That earns a quizzical look from Hinata to the Uchiha. Did...did he just call that man _master_ …?

“Then she can be _your_ responsibility. If she breaks something - and _I’ll know_ \- it’s coming out of your wages, boy.”

“She’s not going to break anything, for crying out loud!” Approaching Hinata, Sasuke puts an arm around her shoulders, guiding her toward the front of the shop. “Not like anything out here is that important, anyway…”

“I heard that!”

Sasuke scowls. “Don’t mind him...he’s just...well, Kakashi. And Kakashi is a hard man to understand. He’s been my teacher for a few years now, and I still don’t know heads or tails of him.”

“He’s your...teacher?”

“Er...yeah. Sort of in a...vocational sense,” Sasuke replies, tone suddenly hesitant and vague.

“...should I go…?”

He sighs. “...that might be best. Want me to walk you home?”

“Er -?”

“You’ll do no such thing,” Kakashi calls, earning a glance back from them both. A strange object is held to the ceiling light, a spyglass in his hand as he examines it. And beside him, seemingly hopped up from the floor atop the counter, is what looks like a strange little...dog. “You’re on the clock, Sasuke.”

“Can’t I just stay late?”

“And cut into my evening? I think not.”

The boy gives another grimace. “...sorry.”

“No, it...it’s okay. I’ll be fine. But, um...can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“What... _is_ this place?”

“...antique shop. Kinda sorta. It’s...hard to explain.”

“And that weird mirror?”

Sasuke seems to hiccup for a moment. “...mirror?”

“Or, I think it’s a mirror...I couldn’t s-see anything in it. Is it painted black or something…?”

“It, uh...the glass is missing.”

“...what?”

“Yeah. It’s...here for repair. And the backing is black. That’s what you saw.”

Hinata gives him a skeptical glance. It’s pretty obvious he’s hiding something, but...well, she’s pushing her luck all things considered. “...could I...come back sometime?”

“I guess so...why? This place is boring.”

“...I think it’s neat. And, well...I haven’t really made any friends yet. So maybe I could...talk to you again. If - if that’s okay.”

He blinks. “...I guess so.”

“Just make sure to buy something next time,” Kakashi offers from behind them.

Hinata can’t help a small laugh. “Well...I better try to get home. Thank you for letting me h-hide in here.”

“Glad you’re okay. Be safe going home.”

“Well...I’ll try.” Giving a little wave, she peers out of the door and - upon finding the coast clear - heads out and walks speedily the way she came.

Sasuke watches her go, a hint of a furrow to his brow.

“...be careful with that one.”

“What?”

Kakashi, eyes on the counter, glances up. Only this time...they’ve completely changed color. A bright cyan iris seems a bit clouded with heavy thoughts, the other still blind. “...she’s not what she appears...or what she thinks she is. But, I wonder...hm…”

“What?”

“...it’s nothing.” Abandoning his task, Kakashi spares a hand to his little canine companion, which sparks as it pants happily. The little bolts weave around Kakashi’s fingers, earning a chuckle. “You’ve got chores to do, boy. Hop to it, go on.”

“But...what she said about the mirror - did she really -?”

“You can still see into it, can’t you?”

“...yeah. It’s just...a mirror.”

“...a story for another time. Go on - those chores won’t do themselves!”

“Ugh, all right...I thought we’d practice ven today.”

“Not until your chores are done and my relic is finished. The buyer should be here in an hour. _Then_ we can get to work on your ven, boy.”

“I have a name, you know.”

“Yes. And I elect not to use it at times. Names shouldn’t be worn out.”

“...whatever you say.” With that, Sasuke slips past his teacher into the back room.

Absentmindedly stroking his companion, Kakashi gives the little raijū a glance. “...very interesting. As I always say...no one ends up in here by accident. We’ll have to see what this one brings to the table, hm? Curious...very curious, indeed…”

Beside him, to his eyes, the mirror is indeed black. And yet, to anyone else...it fits its facade perfectly, an exact reflection of the store within its frame.

Curious, indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> *sweats* So uh...this is yet another crossover with some of my original stuff! Technically it's the same universe as my other fantasy works (which I call Divine Light), but this is a bit of a switch in the timeline. We're in the modern era now!
> 
> This is technically a slight reworking of a canon scene IN that story (called Mirror of Dreams). A lot is different in canon, but the general roles are about the same. Runaway bullied girl, weird shop owner, and weird shop owner's apprentice. Only she isn't supposed to meet them QUITE that way, but...well, I don't want to straight up copy my own stuff :'D
> 
> Anyway, I had...a very rough day, so...I'm gonna go. Lost a family pet today, and I'm...really wiped from heavy emotions. But I wanted to get this done (and it was a good distraction). For now though, I really need to get some sleep. Thanks for reading~


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